[IPSM] Six women arrested during sit-in at Chuck Strahl’s

[mattm-b at resist.ca]

Six women arrested during sit-in at Chuck Strahl’s
office<http://www.missingjustice.ca/2010/03/six-women-arrested/>
March 29, 2010

*Peaceful protesters are demanding reinstatement of funding to Aboriginal
Healing Foundation*

At 12:50pm on Monday, March 29th RCMP officers arrested six women who were
peacefully refusing to leave Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl’s office
until he pledged to restore funding to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
The sit-in began at 12:05pm.

“By cutting the funding to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and having us
arrested for protesting these cuts, Harper is denying effective services to
thousands of residential school survivors,” said Maya Rolbin-Ghanie, a
member of the Montreal-based grassroots group Missing Justice.

Rolbin-Ghanie was among those arrested.

“Harper and Strahl’s budget cuts affect 134 organizations across Canada,
including the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal,” said Monica van Schaik,
another Missing Justice member who was arrested.

“That Strahl would have us arrested less than an hour after our sit-in began
shows that this is something he doesn’t want the public to talk about,” van
Schaik added.

“It’s been less than two years since Prime Minister Harper’s apology to
survivors of the residential schools, yet the Conservative government is
ready to shut down programs specifically aimed at helping the healing the
Prime Minister spoke about,” Rolbin-Ghanie said before her arrest.